Myanmar looks to PNG rural airstrip expertise

The Rural Airstrip Agency’s knowledge and experience in restoring and maintaining rural airstrips in PNG can help many other developing countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

This was recently highlighted when Rural Airstrip Agency CEO, John Bromley, was invited to the Republic of the Union of Myanmar to provide advice on the development of rural airstrips in the country of 54 million people.

Two state of Myanmar officials had initially visited PNG and were impressed by the RAA rural airstrip program, hence the invite.

Myanmar has 69 airports listed, many of them paved but most of them closed.

They suffer from the same problems that airstrips in PNG once suffered from.

These problems included neglect, lack of knowledge and experience to maintaining these airstrips.

During his visit, Bromley inspected several airstrip sites and provided insight and advice to the Myanmar officials, based on his experience in PNG.

“The PNG Rural Airstrip Agency program is a good success story of how our unique knowledge and experience can be exported to solve similar problems in other locations of the world,” Bromley said.

“Myanmar and many Asian countries are in some ways is not so different from PNG, so our expertise is really important for their rural airstrip programs as well.

“The Myanmar government recognises the PNG Government’s initiative to establish RAA and its important work with rural airstrips.

“This may well open further opportunities for cooperation between the two countries, such as training and development opportunities.”

RAA is the only organisation established and recognised by the government to maintain and restore rural airstrips in PNG.

The not for profit organisation was established in conjunction with MAF to restore PNG’s unusable airstrips to reach out to even more rural communities.

Author: 
Freddy Mou